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History of Cambria
Western Expansion The history of the city and kingdom of Cambria begins in the fourth century of Arnan history, roughly 320 KR. It was a time when the Kingdom of the Kels along the Gold Coast began spreading west into the territory that would become known as The Marches. Their expansion drew them into conflict with the Hanabril halflings, the Barzul dwarves of the hills and even the Sylvnari elves in their great forests. The continual quest for land conflict created a rift within the population of the kingdom. The Temple of the Sun and the worship of Arn Those who wished to live in peace with the other races and embraced other religions left them as social outcasts. Eventually arrests were made by the king to silence the group's opposition to his plans for war and a decision was made to flee the Kels entirely. Several attempts were made to escape west into the Marchlands but the king and temple would not risk dangerous ideas seeping into their new colonies. Ships were searched, cargo and passengers seized until westward passage was considered untenable. Voyage of the Horizon These separatists, fearing imprisonment and execution, eventually were able to convince a few captains to ferry them away - not west into the March Sea but east through the Pillars of Arn and south and down the Shard Coast. Originally disguised as a cargo fleet heading south to the port town of Barrowton, they planned to do an end-run and end up along the Ebon Coast. They boarded several River Cogs to make the journey up the shallow waters of the Blackbill Bayou and the Reed River. Pursuit The expedition was commanded by a fiery-hearted captain named Dagril Blackbrow, owner of The Horizon. Shortly after they left, two of the ships were overtaken by the Golden Fleet; ships from Kel Arn as a traitor had betrayed their intentions and revealed their course. Rather than heave-to and surrender the passengers and cargo, Captain Blackbrow turned further south into the massive storm that seems to perpetually hang on the Smoking Coast. The storm was full of black clouds, lightening, and burning stones that fell like rain; the likes of which that none aboard had ever seen the likes before. The tempest tossed the three ships around like toys in a child's bath and it was impossible to tell night from day as the storm raged overhead. Still followed by the ships of the Golden Fleet, they pushed onward. The Teeth Once beyond the dangers of the Smoking Coast, the remainders of the expedition the captain of the Horizon turned his ship towards the land but quickly discovered a half-ring of deadly rocks that would eventually become known as The Teeth. As they approached the shore, the storm's fury abated enough to allow the remaining ships of the royal navy to resume their attack. With the waves threatening to smash them against the rocks, the Horizon managed to sail around the barrier with the skill of her captain. The remaining forces of the king of the Kels was not so lucky. The smaller Horizon rode a swell of the waves to catapult itself over and between two of the rocky formations though a large section of the keel had been torn away in the maneuver. With water rushing in through the damaged hull and the navy being smashed behind them, Captain Blackbrow set what course he could and headed directly for the shore of the relatively calm waters of the bay. A wizard aboard the ship, a magus named Agram Stargazer, used his limited magic to erect a shield to block the rush of water and temporarily keep the ship afloat. The captain managed to keep the ship headed for the sandy beach and eventually they dropped anchor off of the coast. The crew and passengers began unloading what cargo remained aboard the ship to the shore and a camp was quickly created. Sanctuary Only once his people were safe did the captain discover how the ship had been saved by Agram's magic. His ship was all but beached and it would take several months to rebuild the damaged section of the keel before it would set out to the sea once more. Agram, who had quickly become a leader within the surviving passengers, had crawled up to the top of a tall hill near the beach to investigate the ruins of an old tower (Tower Hill) and could see that they had found themselves in a vast, fertile valley protected by a semi-circular range of hills. The Thornwood From atop the hill, later named Tower Hill, Agram could easily make out a fresh water river that cut through the rough center of fertile plains (Tamar Valley) and a dense forest (Thornwood Forest) beyond. That is where he suggested that the new inhabitants of the valley begin building a more permanent settlement. They found the forests were full of game and the lush meadows were perfect for farming. Since the crew and passengers arrived in mid-spring, they had the opportunity to establish crops and began feeding themselves rather than living off the rationed food that they had brought with them. The small rise, nicknamed 'Horizon Hill', was their first village; a secret settlement for the passengers and crew to build their new life. The castaways flourished in their new home during that year but the colony would soon perish without additional settlers (only three of the surviving forty-seven passengers were women). The settlers sailed the cogs up the river to hide their presence from the Golden Fleet should they continue in their pursuit. The Dawnstar Captain Blackbrow was eager to get himself back onto the sea but for that he would need a ship. His crew took the better part of spring and summer to construct a new ship that he called the Dawnstar. The ship launched itself from the Bay and sailed around The Teeth and back out into the Sea of Shards. The plan was that the captain and his crew would sail back to Kel Arn and make contact with the other separatists in the city. Letters were written by Magus Stargazer to explain what had happened and request aid. The magus sent what silver he possessed with the captain to purchase those supplies that the colony was in need of and could not produce themselves. More importantly, the colonists wanted to know what had happened to the other two ships of their fellow refugees. By the end of Fall, Captain Blackbrow had returned, with only his ship, and a cargo hold full of passengers and supplies. He brought news of the Kels and the King's silent war against those who opposed his policy of expansion. Kel Essen, one of the city-states of the kingdom and the leading ship-building state, had come out publicly against the wars and had given sanctuary to any who had opposed the king. This public opposition created yet another problem for the ruler of the Kels and he began to intercept and seize ships coming out of Fen Essen. This lead to a massive naval battle between the royal navy and that of Essen to the south. It took skill but eventually he was able to make his way westward to Kel Mara. Trade Fleet The Dawnstar would winter in Kel Mara after having delivered a growing cargo of grain raised at the colony and return in spring with what supplies that could be purchased; often with another batch of refugees eager to escape the growing tension among the Kels. Within three years, the Kels were in revolt and it was no longer safe for captains to tie up their ships on the island city-states for winter - a time when the Sea of Shards became a mess of icy-laiden storms. With agreement by Magus Starchaser, Captain Blackbrow returned at the start of their fourth winter with a few more ships in tow - captained by those who he could trust to keep the secret of their port. The lush fields of the Tamar Valley produced far much more grain than the settlement could ever consume and the excess was loaded onto captain Blackbrow's ship as well as his compatriots to be sold both north and south. Growth The settlement grew in size and reputation over the next hundred years or so and it might have remained as 'Horizon' to this day if not for the efforts of one man; Jorah Silverlance The Griffon Riders Category:History Category:Event/320 KR Category:Cambria Category:Event